Explosive projectile



Oct. 26, 1948. D. G. sTlNE EXPLOSIVE PROJEGTILE Fned Mann s, 1944 Patented Get. 26, 1948 UNITED STATES PATNT @Fi-:ICE i v v I ,2,452,269 y sxrriosrva eaoiao'rnn Donald Guilford Stine, Mount Carmel, Pa.

Application March 8, 1944, Serial No. 525,557

2 Claims.

of efficiency and which will not pass through an objective without exploding.

A further object is to provide a shell or proj ectile with fins adapted to move outwardly in planes radiating from the shell after emerging from the gun and prior to reaching the objective, these outwardly movable elements constituting means for retracting ring pins and for subsequently releasing them at the time of impact so that the charge will be exploded by the action of the released pins.

A still further object is to provide the projectile withsafety means to prevent release of the firing mechanism while the projectile lis being handled.

With the foregoing and other objects in view which will appear asthe description proceeds, the invention consists of voer-tain novel details of construction and combinations of parts hereinafter more fully described and pointed out in the claims, it beingl understood that changes may be made in t-he construction and arrangement of parts without departing from the spirit of the invention as claimed.

In the accompanying drawing the preferred form of the invention has been shown.

In said drawing Figure 1 is an. elevation of the projectile, the parts being shown held against premature actuation.

Figure 2 is a section on line 2 2, Figure 1, a

portion of one of the fins being shown by broken lines in released position and the pin associated therewith being shown by bro-ken lines in lifted position and by full lines in ring position.

Figure 3 is a view showing the rear or butt end of the projectile.

Figure 4 is a section on line 4 4, Fig. 2.

'Referringr to the figures by characters of reference, I designates the body portion of the shell which can be provided, at its tapered iront end with the usual timer indicated generally at 2. A cylindrical butt member 3 has a screw-threaded extension l which is screwed into the body portion I, the outer surface 5 of this head being substantially iiush with the corresponding surface 6 of the body portion I. A wide annular channel 'I is provided in the outer surface of the meeting portions of the two members I and 3 oi the shell and mounted to slide Within this channel is a locking ring 8 which can be secured against movement by mea-ns of a set-screw S.

Formed within that end portion of the member 3 abutting against the member I are-bores II] extending through the closed end I I of the member 3 and holding shells I2 having primaryl charge chambers i3 which open intothe interior of :member 3 through apertures Ill. A cap l5 is positioned in each of the shells between opening Il and the member I and mounted in each shell is aring pin I6 having a collar Il positioned to receive thrust from one or mo-re springs. l,In the drawing a coiled spring I8 and a `bow spring i9 are prof vided for this purpose, both springs being mounted on the firing pin and thrusting at one end against one end of shell l2 and at its other end against the collar Il. It will be noted that the springs i3 and I9 serve to hold the firing pins normally pressed irmly against the caps I5. However, when thering pins are retracted, as hereinafter explained, the springs I8 and I9 will beV compressed lwith the result that when the firing pins are released, these compressedsprings will be released and the energy stored therein willbe sufficient to drive the firing pins forciblyagainst the caps I5 to explode them. v Longitudinal grooves 2i) are provided in the outer surface of lthe member I and the .ringpins IB extend into the respective grooves wherethey are provided with laterally extended lugs ZI. l

Pivotally mounted within each groove 2l) v4is an elongated iin 22. A pivot pin 23 is located adjacent to one of the firing pins, so as to connect each iin to the member I and extending from each iin adjacent to its pivot pin, is a lifting finger 22. When the fins are fully seated in the grooves 20, their outer edges are flush with the corresponding surface of the member I.

That portion of each iin which is normally exposed in the annular groove l, is normally ush with the inner wall of the groove and is adapted normally to be engaged by the ring 3 so that the fins thus are held against outward swinging movement relative to the body portion of the projectile.

The members I and 3 are lled with an explosive indicated at 2d. and an explosive also fills the primary charge chambers I3.

When the projectile is placed in a gun preparatory to being fired, the set-screw 9 or other fastening means is loosened and ring 8 is swung from the position shown in Fig. 1 downwardly to the other extreme position in the groove l. The wall of the gun bore will of course keep the fins 22 from swinging outwardly during the loading operation. When the gun is fired the arms 2U will be swung outwardly relative to the member i by springs '5 located between the fins and the inner Walls of the grooves 20. Thus the diameter of the path of the projectile is increased by the combined lengths of the opposed laterally extended fns. As the fins swing outwardly the lifting fingers 22 thereon will come against the lugs 2| and pull the firing pins against the action of the springs I8 and I9 as shown by broken lines at the left of Figure 2. These springs are of such strength as to limit the swinging movement of the` lns while travelling through the air but, on striking an objective, the ns upon meeting the resistance offered thereby, will be pressed back to overcome the restraining action of the springs with the result that the lifting lingers 22 will be snapped past the lugs 2|, thereby releasing the springs so that the energy stored by the traction of the springs will be released and the shifted firing pins thus will be free to shift back toward their normal positions, one of which has been indicated at the right of Figure 2, with the result that the violent contact of each ring pin against the explosive charge will be sufficient to re the charge. Consequently there is no danger of the projectile passing through an ob jective without exploding.

For the purpose of preventing injury to the rifled surface of a gun from which the projectile is being fired, it is designed to provide each iin 22 with laterally extending wings 25 seated in lateral extensions 26 of the grooves 20 so that the grooves in the gun bores will be bridged thereby.

The projectile can be provided, near its butt end with one or more expansion rings 21.

It will be noted that parts of this projectile can be assembled readily inasmuch as the shells I2 containing the primary charges and the caps can be screwed into position after the other parts have been assembled and after the fins 22 have been lapped in folded position by the ring 8 and the set-screw 9.

What is claimed is:

1. An explosive shell including main and butt members cooperating to provide an explosive chamber, there being longitudinal grooves in the main member and longitudinal bores in the butt member opening into the grooves, said grooves and bores being substantially alined, a shell removably seated in each bore, each shell being in communication with the explosive chamber, a cap in each shell, a, yieldingly restrained ring pin in each shell normally in close proximity to the cap, and separate means movably mounted in the grooves for actuating the respective firing pins to explode the caps, said means including fins pivotally mounted in the grooves, lifting ngers ycarried by the iins and positioned for movement into engagement with and past the firing pins, and a spring interposed between each 1in and the main member for projecting the fin outwardly from the groove.

2. An explosive shell including main and butt members cooperating to provide an explosive chamber, there, being longitudinal grooves in the main member and longitudinal bores in the butt member opening into the grooves, said grooves and bores being substantially alined, a shell removably seated in each bore, each shell being in communication with the explosive chamber, a cap in each shell, ayieldingly restrained firing pin in each shell normally in close proximity to the cap, separate means movably mounted in the grooves for actuating the respective ring pins to explode the caps, said means including fins pivotally mounted in the grooves, lifting fingers carried by the iins and positioned for movement into engagement with and past the ring pins, a spring interposed between each iin and the main member for projecting the fin outwardly from the groove, and means adjustably mounted on the shell and positioned normally to hold the fins against swinging movement.

DONALD GUILFORD STINE.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the le of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 674,509 MacMartin May 21, 1901 760,820 Suppnick May 24, 1904 1,139,916 Stoehr et al May 18, 1915 1,144,818 Damer June 29, 1915 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 19,337 Great Britain Aug. 26, 1913 

